Month: October 2021

CONDRAGULATIONS!

DELIGHTFUL DIVINA DE CAMPO STARS ALONGSIDE LOLA LASAGNE & DON ONE

IN CORBY’S FIRST EVER DRAG PANTOMIME SLEEPING BEAUTY

Imagine Theatre and The Core at Corby Cube announce their first ever drag Pantomime as Ru Paul’s Drag Race favourite Divina De Campo leads the cast of Sleeping Beauty as the evil Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty from Friday 17 to Friday 31 December joined by Drag Legend Lola Lasagne and Drag King Don One as Prince Eric.

A seasoned British drag queen known for her fabulous high soprano and 4-octave vocal range, Divina has featured on national television programmes including The Voice, All Together Now and most recently a finalist on the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Divina is currently touring the UK in Chicago The Musical and can’t wait to be turning on her bad girl persona for the role this Christmas.

“I am so excited to be appearing in Sleeping Beauty at The Core this Christmas. I love what the producers are doing by colliding the world of drag and pantomime in a show that celebrates the LGBTQ+ community. Drag is for everyone, and this show proves it. I am going to be wickedly fabulous so watch out Corby, DDC is coming to get you!”

Joining Divina will be drag legend Lola Lasagne, one of the most successful and popular drag queens on the UK circuit.  Lola will be “whipping her hair back and forth” as Nanny Lola, looking after Princess Beauty whilst dealing with the tempers, tantrums and traumas caused by Carabosse – the most wicked fairy in the land. 

And that’s not all!  The show’s producers, Imagine Theatre, are thrilled to announce that joining those two fantastic queens will be hugely popular drag king and West End star (Death Drop), Don One who will be playing the deliciously dashing Prince Eric.

Laura Taylor Associate Producer & Head of Celebrity Casting at Imagine Theatre says ‘Not to be mistaken for an adult pantomime, with our casting of Sleeping Beauty we hope to celebrate and showcase the fantastically popular Drag artists in the UK in a traditional Pantomime.  With fabulous sets, glamorous costumes and more sequins than Strictly, it’s going to be camp, it’s going to be glitzy and audiences will ‘sashay away’ into the night with huge smiles on their faces.  With a suggested age guidance of 12+ this is a fabulously festive show with just a little more sass!”

Sleeping Beauty plays at The Core at Corby Cube from Friday 17 – Friday 31 December. Tickets start from £10, for more information and to book tickets go to www.thecorecorby.com or call
01536 470470.

THE DUKES THEATRE ANNOUNCE WINTER PLANS FOR 50^TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

BELLE & MARY

(18-20 NOV, 50^TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION: 20 NOV AT 7:30PM)

BEAUTY & THE BEAST

(3-31 DEC AT 7PM)

The Dukes in Lancaster have announced their plans to celebrate the theatre’s 50^th Anniversary over the Winter season.

Since opening the doors in 1971, The Dukes has been committed to placing arts and culture at the heart of the Lancashire and Lancaster City region. As Lancashire’s only producing theatre, over the years The Dukes has welcomed the likes of Dame Harriet Walter, Gloria Grahame, Andy Serkis and most recently, Sir Ian McKellen.

Beginning a year of celebration until Summer 2022, the 50-year-old theatre will debut two new productions: a new retelling of the infamous Buck Ruxton case, Belle & Mary (18-20 November), and this year’s annual in-the-round Christmas production, Beauty & the Beast (3-31 December).

The Dukes’ Chief Executive Karen O’Neill said of leading the theatre into its next 50 years, “It is so wonderful to be celebrating the Dukes 50^th Birthday! This is a milestone year for the Dukes and we are so pleased to be sharing it with our team, volunteers, audiences, artists and community. The Dukes has been at the heart of Lancaster since 1971 as both a theatre and independent cinema and has achieved so much since then. We are so proud of the Dukes’ legacy and thank everyone who has been part of the journey so far. We are so excited for the future and we look forward to creating more memories, creative projects and continuing to be part of what makes Lancaster a great place to visit or call home. Thank you to our core funders Arts Council England and Lancaster City Council and to all our supporters, partners, funders, audiences and creative professionals. Here’s to the next 50 years!”

The festivities will also celebrate the theatre’s long-standing team members including Data & Audience Development Manager ​Karen Chandisingh and Technical Manager Brent Lees, who have both worked at the theatre for over 25 years, as well as The Dukes’ team of volunteers who have supported the venue for many years.

Karen Chandisingh said of the anniversary and time with the theatre, “I feel so lucky to have spent much of my working life with The Dukes. Over the past 30 years I’ve worked with the most amazing people and have been privileged to see some amazing theatre.  I’m so happy to be celebrating my 50^th along with The Dukes and I am very much looking forward to our next chapter.”

Marketing & Communications Manager Jay Walton said of The Dukes’ volunteers, “For many years our volunteers have supported The Dukes, welcoming our wonderful audiences and theatre companies. They mean a lot to us and we can’t thank them enough for their support. We are delighted to be celebrating our 50th Birthday with them as much as our beloved audiences.” 

Belle & Mary

­The Dukes, in association with Adam Z. Robinson, will bring the infamous Lancaster true-crime tale of Buck Ruxton to the stage in Belle & Mary. The Dukes-commissioned piece by Adam Z. Robinson, which will be performed as if a radio play, will turn the tables on the narrative with the production focusing on the perspectives of Ruxton’s victims Isabella “Belle” Ruxton and Mary Jane Rogerson.

When several wrapped bundles containing human remains are discovered in Moffat, Scotland in 1935 a landmark police investigation begins that will eventually lead back to two women in Lancaster and to the man who killed them. Based on the true story of the murders of Isabella “Belle” Ruxton and Mary Jane Rogerson. Still regarded as one of the most shocking crimes of the last century, this infamous case of jealousy, deception and tragedy also marked a pivotal moment in forensic detection.

The production, directed by Martha Simon, will run from 18-20 November with the show’s final performance welcoming an invited audience to celebrate and commemorate the venue’s 50^th Birthday.

Beauty & the Beast

The Dukes will host bring Beauty & the Beast to The Round Theatre from 3-31 December as their in-the-round Christmas production for their 50^th anniversary.

Beauty & the Beast will welcome back the creative team of Daniel Bye (writer & co-director) and Sarah Punshon (co-director), who previously collaborated on The Dukes’ highly acclaimed productions of Cinderella: A Fairytale and Sleeping Beauty. This brand-new production will provide a thoroughly festive adventure for all audiences; promising to be filled with magic, dancing and songs that everyone will love to sing along to.

Bella and her mother live alone in the countryside, scrimping and saving to make ends meet. But, not far from their farm, in the forest, there is a terrible secret waiting to be uncovered that has made the land barren.

Kidnapped by the fearsome Beast, Bella discovers that he might not be the mean-spirited creature that she has been told about – and that the curse he is under can be broken.

The theatre will also welcome touring productions to Lancashire over the upcoming months including Double Life: Guy in VR (13 November), The Little Prince (27 November) and Christmas Gothic (3-4 December).

Tickets for all productions are now on sale with tickets available at dukeslancaster.org or by calling the theatre’s box office at 01524 598500.

FURTHER CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR

BRAND-NEW LIFE-AFFIRMING BRITISH MUSICAL

THE RHYTHMICS

PREMIERING AT THE SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE

2 DECEMBER 2021 – 8 JANUARY 2022

www.therhythmics.co.uk
Twitter – @TheRhythmics_

Producers Aria Entertainment, Metta Theatre and Edward Prophet are pleased to announce details of further casting for the premiere of brand-new life affirming musical THE RHYTHMICS this winter, playing at the Southwark Playhouse from 2 December to 8 January, with a press night on Tuesday 7 December.

As previously announced, Noel Sullivan (School of Rock, Years and Years and Gavin and Stacey) will star as ‘Grey’ alongside Zweyla Mitchell Dos Santos making her professional debut playing ‘Silva’. Joining the cast are Ken Christiansen (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, It’s a Sin, Mother Courage and her Children) as ‘Nick’, Kinny Gardner (Godspell, The Rocky Horror Show, The Mousetrap) as ‘Sid’, Rebecca Hayes (A Christmas Carol, Cylch Sialc, The Pact) as ‘Robin’, Andrew Patrick-Walker (Jerry Springer – The Opera, Brooklyn the Musical, The Muppets Most Wanted) as ‘Jeremy’, Joshua Steel (Aladdin, Friendsical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) as ‘Connor’, and Phil Snowden (Billy Elliot, Les Miserables and Bridgerton) as ‘Dennis’.

A brand-new music video for one of the numbers in the show – ‘Daddy, You’re My Hero’ – has also been released, with the leads coming together for the first time performing together. Like the music video Got Your Back, created to accompany the release of the album, the full production will also feature BSL integrated choreography from Deaf men Dancing’s Mark Smith, as well as captions throughout all performances, to make the show accessible for D/deaf and hard of hearing audiences. A cast album for the show was created during lockdown last year under socially distanced rules in studios across London, Brighton and Glasgow, and released in July 2020. The album is available via Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, Apple Music and other digital platforms.

With book and lyrics by Metta’s Artistic Director P Burton-Morgan, and music and lyrics from Stiles + Drewe award winner Ben Glasstone (Reanimator), THE RHYTHMICS explores the crisis of masculinity via a collection of oddballs belting their way through a thrillingly catchy guitar-led score.

Hapless single-dad Grey is in a rut. Teenage daughter Silva packs him off to revive his rockstar dreams, successfully auditioning for ‘Nick & the Rhythmics’ only to realise… he’s actually signed up for an All-male Rhythmic Gymnastics troupe. Against the odds these burly blokes make it as far as the World Championships – twirling their ‘ribbons of fire’ – and along the way Grey finally learns to commit to life. Calendar Girls meets The Full Monty in this joyous new British musical.

P Burton-Morgan says, “I’m so thrilled to be collaborating with this bunch of theatrical legends – we were blown away in auditions by the talent and enthusiasm in the room. Maybe it’s this show, maybe it’s the 18 month career hiatus we’ve all had, but never have I been met with such commitment and passion. Can’t wait to share the joy of this brilliant company who are pouring their heart and soul into this life-affirming new show – truly a tonic for our times.”

THE RHYTHMICS is directed by P Burton-Morgan, with choreography by Mark Smith, with Ellie Verkerk as Musical Supervisor, Erika Gundesen as Musical Director, James Nicholson as sound designer, Francine Huin-Wah as costume designer, Jane Deitch as casting director, and Will Reynolds as set and lighting designer.

Award-winning Metta Theatre is one of the UK’s leading mid-scale touring companies – making exceptional theatre and opera that represents and celebrates the diversity of our world. They are known for combining emotionally powerful performances with imaginative theatricality and striking visual style. After their smash hit street-dance Jungle Book (Theatre Royal Windsor, UK & Int. tours), circus-musical Little Mermaid (Theatre By The Lake & UK tour) and BSL integrated hip hop musical In The Willows (Exeter Northcott & UK tour) Metta Theatre have spent the last year recording and releasing 5 cast albums of their new original British musicals including The Rhythmics, HouseFire, In The Willows, Little Prince & Cells. Other previous productions include Mouthful (Trafalgar Studios) and Arab Nights (Soho Theatre & UK tour).

Aria Entertainment was founded in 2012 by Katy Lipson. In 2017, Katy was awarded the Best Producer award by the Off-West End Awards and is a recipient of a Stage One Bursary and Start Up Award. She took part in the first ever UK/US Producer Exchange in 2019 and was nominated for International Producer Of The Year in 2020 by the League Of Professional Women in New York. She made “The Stage 100” a list of the most influential people working in British Theatre in 2018, 2019 and 2020 and also 2021. Katy recently produced CRUISE at The Duchess Theatre and is producing The Addams Family Tour as well as THE LAST 5 YEARS at the Garrick Theatre. She was Producing Artistic Director at the Hope Mill Theatre from 2016-2019 where she produced and general managed 13 in house musicals. 

Andrew Lloyd Webber to host a special gala performance of Cinderella with Malala Yousafzai

LONDON – Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit new musical Cinderella is to hold a special gala performance to raise money for Malala Yousafzai’s work to empower women and girls around the world.

With the backdrop of a worsening global refugee crisis, which has interrupted the education of millions of young women, Malala Fund wants those who have lost everything to retain access to the opportunities they need to build a better future.

More than 130 million girls are out of school today and Malala Fund is working for a world where every girl can learn and lead through access to a free, safe and quality education.

The Cinderella gala performance will be held on Monday 22nd November. The show has been donated by Andrew Lloyd Webber and every penny raised will be donated directly to Malala Fund.

Malala Yousafzai: “Since age 10, I’ve been fighting for a world where every girl can learn and lead. But in the past two years, girls in many countries have faced enormous setbacks to their education – from Covid to economic pressures to conflict and displacement. I am grateful to my friend Andrew for all his support, and I want to thank the cast and crew of Cinderella for arranging this special performance to support Malala Fund.”

Andrew Lloyd Webber: “I am an enormous admirer of Malala. She is an extraordinary person and you can imagine my delight when I discovered that she loved musical theatre. Malala and her fund work to empower women and girls to be the best version of themselves and the people they truly want to be. Recent events in Afghanistan, and the worsening of the global refugee crisis, which will be inevitably exacerbated by climate change in the years to come, have brought into sharp focus the importance of Malala’s work.

“We wanted to do this gala performance of Cinderella because our heroine is a strong-willed and mischievous young woman whose lesson is: don’t change to please others. I want to thank everyone who supports this gala and enables us to do more to help women and girls to achieve their dreams.”

Emerald Fennell: “Malala Yousafzai is a true hero and a beacon of light to so many of us. It is an honor to be able to support her work in any small way, especially at such an urgent and terrible time for the women and girls around the world.”

The Cinderella gala event will also feature the work of a contemporary Afghan artist, Shamsia Hassani, and the stories of female Afghan musicians.

“[Cinderella is]a romcom with a progressive message: you don’t have to change yourself to find love.”
The Daily Telegraph

Tickets for the gala performance of Cinderella are on sale here.

National Theatre Live relaunches new programming for the first time since February 2020 with exciting new programme of four productions in cinemas worldwide

The four productions are Leopoldstadt, The Book of Dust – La Belle Sauvage, Hex and Henry V

The National Theatre today announces the return of National Theatre Live with a new programme of four productions to be broadcast to audiences worldwide in cinemas, starting in the UK and Ireland in January, and with tickets now on sale.

The productions are Tom Stoppard’s Olivier-Award winning play Leopoldstadt from Sonia Friedman Productions in the West End which will be broadcast to cinemas from January; Bryony Lavery’s adaptation of Philip Pullman’s The Book of Dust – La Belle Sauvage from the Bridge Theatre in February; Tanya Ronder, Jim Fortune and Rufus Norris’ new musical Hex from the NT will be broadcast in March and the Donmar Warehouse’s production of Henry V starring Kit Harington will be in cinemas from April.

National Theatre Live has been broadcasting to cinemas for almost 12 years, and has sold 11 million tickets worldwide, presenting 88 shows, in 65 countries.

Lisa Burger, Executive Director and Joint Chief Executive of the National Theatre, said: “I am delighted to announce the return to cinemas of National Theatre Live with four new productions bringing the best of British theatre back into cinemas. Over the last year, while theatres and cinemas have been closed around the world, it’s been brilliant to share National Theatre Live recordings through National Theatre at Home. The audience response has shown us the huge appetite for these productions which now stretch back over 12 years. But it’s so great to be able to share theatre as a communal experience in cinemas once again. So, whether you come to watch a show live on the South Bank, visit a venue across the UK, book into your local cinema or tune in from home, there are now more ways than ever to experience the National’s work.”

Since March 2020, National Theatre Live has broadcast in cinemas with special encore screenings of Follies from 2 September 2021 and the NT’s feature film Romeo & Juliet was also broadcast to cinemas from 28 September 2021.

The NT’s next feature film Death of England: Face to Face will be in Curzon cinemas on Tuesday 2 November. The film will then be broadcast, for free, on Sky Arts at 9pm on Thursday 25 November (Freeview channel 11).

Sky Arts is the Headline Partner of National Theatre Live in the UK.

The new season of productions are:  

Leopoldstadt
From Sonia Friedman Productions
Thursday 27 January in the UK
Thursday 27 January 2022 internationally (except US, Canada, Austria and Czech Republic)
Thursday 1 December 2022 – 30 June 2023 in Japan
A new play by Tom Stoppard
Directed by Patrick Marber
 

Tom Stoppard’s Olivier Award-winning new play Leopoldstadt is a passionate drama of love, family and endurance.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Leopoldstadt was the old, crowded Jewish quarter of Vienna, Austria. But Hermann Merz, a factory owner and baptised Jew now married to Catholic Gretl, has moved up in the world.

We follow his family’s story across half a century, passing through the convulsions of war, revolution, impoverishment, annexation by Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. A company of 40 actors represent each generation of the family in this epic, but intimate play.

The cast is Sebastian Armesto (Jacob/Nathan/Ludwig), Jenna Augen (Rosa), Rhys Bailey (Young Nathan), Cara Ballingall (Jana), Faye Castelow (Gretl), Joe Coen (Policeman/Zac), Felicity Davidson (Hilde), Mark Edel-Hunt (Civilian/Fritz), Clara Francis (Wilma), Arty Froushan (Leo), Ilan Galkoff (Pauli), Caroline Gruber (Emilia), Sam Hoare (Percy), Natalie Law (Hanna), Avye Leventis (Sally), Aidan McArdle (Hermann), Dorothea Myer-Bennett (Eva), Jake Neads (Mohel/Policeman), Aaron Neil (Ernst), Alexander Newland (Kurt), Macy Nyman (Hermine), Noof Ousellam (Otto), Sadie Shimmin (Poldi), Griffin Stevens (Aaron), Eleanor Wyld (Nellie).

The children’s cast is Rafael Shbero (Young Jacob), Ollie Kohn (Young Leo), Osian Salter (Heini), Noa Alberts (Young Rosa), Lexi Hudaly (Young Sally), Audrey Kattan (Bella) and Shoshana Shbero (Mimi).

Set designs are by Richard Hudson, with costume designs by Brigitte Reiffenstuel, lighting by Neil Austin, sound and original music by Adam Cork, and movement by Emily Jane Boyle. Casting is by Amy Ball CDG, with children’s casting by Verity Naughton.

Filmed live on stage in London’s West End, at the Wyndham’s Theatre.

The Book of Dust – La Belle Sauvage
From the Bridge Theatre
Thursday 17 February 2022 in the UK
Thursday 7 April 2022 internationally
by Philip Pullman, adapted by Bryony Lavery
Directed by Nicholas Hytner

Set twelve years before the epic His Dark Materials trilogy, this gripping adaptation revisits Philip Pullman’s fantastical world in which waters are rising and storms are brewing.

Two young people and their dæmons, with everything at stake, find themselves at the centre of a terrifying manhunt. In their care is a tiny child called Lyra Belacqua, and in that child lies the fate of the future. And as the waters rise around them, powerful adversaries conspire for mastery of Dust: salvation to some, the source of infinite corruption to others.

Eighteen years after his ground-breaking production of His Dark Materials at the National Theatre, director Nicholas Hytner returns to Pullman’s parallel universe.

The cast is Julie Atherton, Holly Atkins, Wendy Mae Brown, Pip Carter, Samuel Creasey, Ella Dacres, Ayesha Dharker, Heather Forster, Naomi Frederick, Richard James-Neale, John Light, Dearbhla Molloy, Tomi Ogbaro, Sid Sagar, Nick Sampson and Sky Yang. 

The Book of Dust – La Belle Sauvage is adapted by Bryony Lavery, co-directors are Emily Burns and James Cousins with designs by Bob Crowley, puppet design and direction by Barnaby Dixon, lighting design by Jon Clark, sound by Paul Arditti, video designs are by Luke Halls and Zakk Hein and music by Grant Olding.  James Cousins is also movement director, Kate Waters is fight director and illusions are by Filipe Carvalho.

Broadcast live from London’s Bridge Theatre.

Hex
a new musical based on Sleeping Beauty
From the National Theatre
Thursday 17 March in the UK
Thursday 5 May internationally
Book by Tanya Ronder, music by Jim Fortune and lyrics by Rufus Norris
Directed by Rufus Norris

A vividly original retelling of Sleeping Beauty, a mythic, big-hearted new musical that goes beyond the waking kiss. 

Deep in the wood, a lonely fairy longs for someone to bless. When she is summoned to the palace to help the princess sleep, her dream turns into a nightmare and her blessing becomes a curse. Soon, she is plunged into a frantic, hundred-year quest to somehow make everything right.

Rufus Norris directs Rosalie Craig (As You Like It, Threepenny Opera) in this new musical filmed live on stage at the National Theatre, with music by Jim Fortune, book by Tanya Ronder.

The cast is led by Rosalie Craig as Fairy, Tamsin Carroll as Queenie, Kat Ronney as Rose and Michael Elcock as Bert, alongside Christopher Akrill, Delroy Atkinson, Esme Bacalla-Hayes, Madeline Charlemagne, Ebony Clarke, Sonya Cullingford, Hanna Dimtsu, Tamsin Dowsett, Joe Foster, Ben Goffe, Eleanor Kane, Daisy Maywood, Kody Mortimer, Joseph Prouse, Shaq Taylor and Sargon Yelda.

Orchestrations by Simon Hale, music supervision by Marc Tritschler, music direction by Tarek Merchant, lighting design by Paul Anderson, choreography by Jade Hackett with consultant choreography by Bill Deamer and sound design by Simon Baker.

Filmed live at the National Theatre.

Henry V
From the Donmar Warehouse
Thursday 21 April in the UK
Thursday 2 June internationally
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Max Webster

Shakespeare’s ever popular play is a thrilling study of nationalism, war and the psychology of power. 

Kit Harington leads the cast in the Donmar Warehouse’s exciting modern production directed by their Associate Director Max Webster, exploring what it means to be English and our relationship to Europe, asking: do we ever get the leaders we deserve?

Design by Fly Davis, lighting design by Lee Curran, sound design by Carolyn Downing, video design by Andrzej Goulding, movement direction by Benoit Swan Pouffer, composition by Andrew T. Mackay, fight direction by Kate Waters and casting director is Anna Cooper CDG.

Full cast to be announced.

Filmed live at the Donmar Warehouse.

Runaway Entertainment presents

2:22 – A GHOST STORY

The hit play by Danny Robins

Directed by Matthew Dunster

@222AGhostStory #222AGhostStory 

• 2.22 – A GHOST STORY TRANSFERS TO THE GIELGUD THEATRE FOR A STRICTLY LIMITED SEASON OF 10 WEEKS ONLY FROM 4 DECEMBER 2021

• THE PRODUCTION IS DIRECTED BY MATTHEW DUNSTER AND WRITTEN BY AWARD-WINNING WRITER DANNY ROBINS

• TICKETS ARE ON SALE FROM 12 NOON on 28 OCTOBER 2021 FROM WWW.222AGHOSTSTORY.COM

Producer Runaway Entertainment is delighted to announce that the edge-of-your-seat, supernatural thriller 2:22 – A Ghost Story returns for a new season at the Gielgud Theatre. After breaking all box office records for a new play at the Noel Coward Theatre; described as the theatre event of the year and the hottest ticket in the West End; and after weeks of sell-out performances, the show will play at the Gielgud Theatre for ten weeks only until 12 February 2022. The all new star cast will be announced soon.

“Danny Robins’ tense and slick play” The Telegraph

2.22 – A Ghost Story is written by award-winning writer Danny Robins, creator of the hit BBC podcast The Battersea Poltergeist and it is directed by Matthew Dunster. Intriguing, funny and scary, it takes audiences into one adrenaline fueled night where secrets will emerge and ghosts may appear….What do you believe? And do you dare to discover the truth?

“There’s something in our house. I hear it every night, at the same time.”

Jenny believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam isn’t having any of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren and her new partner Ben. Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and that something is getting closer, so they are going to stay up… until 2.22am… and then they will know.

Danny Robins said “I was blown away by the response to the play this summer, both from the critics and our amazing audiences, so I am hugely chuffed to be able to bring the show back so quickly and to this beautiful, historic theatre. Slipping from Autumn into Winter, it feels the perfect time for a ghost story, so I can’t wait to spook a whole load of new audiences at the Gielgud. I’m hoping you’ll laugh, jump, be on the edge of your seat, and then spend the rest of the night talking about whether ghosts exist!”

2:22 – A Ghost Story features set design by Anna Fleischle, costume design by Cindy Lin, lighting design by Lucy Carter, sound by Ian Dickinson for Autograph Sound, casting by Jessica Ronane CDG and illusions by Chris Fisher.

“A cracking supernatural thriller” Time Out

2:22 – A Ghost Story is produced by Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Isobel David and Kater Gordon. 

2:22 – A Ghost Story
By Danny Robins
Directed by Matthew Dunster

Gielgud Theatre, Shaftesbury Ave, London W1D 6AR

0844 452 5151

www.222aghoststory.com

First performance 4 December 2021 at 7.30pm

Final performance 12 February 2022 at 7.30pm

Monday – Saturday – 7.30pm

Saturday matinee – 2.30pm

Sunday – 2pm and 6pm

Tickets from £15

Age limit 14+

The Original Theatre Company in association with Martyn Hayes presents 

INTO THE NIGHT by Frazer Flintham 

Based on the book Penlee: The Loss of a Lifeboat by Michael Sagar-Fenton 

A unique theatrical performance broadcast live on Saturday 18 December at 5.30pm 

On Saturday 19 December 1981, the Penlee lifeboat ‘Solomon Browne’, was launched in hurricane conditions to go to the aid of the coaster ‘Union Star’ that had engine failure and was being swept towards the southern coast of Cornwall. It was an attempted rescue which ranks not only with the greatest in the history of the RNLI, but with any human achievement. Marking 40 years since the event, INTO THE NIGHT is a unique theatrical performance broadcast live on Saturday 18 December 2021 at 5.30pm. 

INTO THE NIGHT has been adapted by playwright and screen writer Frazer Flintham from Penlee RNLI volunteer and author Michael Sagar-Fenton’s book Penlee: The Loss of a Lifeboat. It is directed by Original Theatre Company’s Alastair Whatley. 

The cast will include: Hubert Burton(The Inheritance), Tom Chambers(Father Brown, Holby City, Apollo 13: The Dark Side of The Moon), Cornish actor Robert Duncan (Drop The Dead Donkey, Casualty, Twelve Angry Men), Cornish actresses Susan Penhaligon(The Mousetrap, A Fine Romance, Emmerdale) and Hazel Simmons, and Tim Treloar (Birdsong, The Haunting of Alice Bowles, Bombshell). Further casting is to be announced. 

The production is presented by Original Theatre Company (the team behind Birdsong Online and Apollo 13: The Dark Side of The Moon) in association with Martyn Hayes. It is designed by Michael Pavelka with camera direction by North South Culture, sound by Dominic Bilkey and music by James Findlay.  

INTO THE NIGHT will be an unforgettable performance remembering the courage, dedication and heroism of the Penlee lifeboat crew. 

Frazer Flintham said: “It can be easy to forget that crew members on lifeboats in the UK are all volunteers. Electricians, teachers, builders – all willing to drop everything to go out into all weathers, and rescue people they’ve likely never met. I was drawn to this story for its humbling and very human reminder, of what bravery can really mean.” 

Alastair Whatley said: “The story of the Penlee Lifeboat is one of the most humbling, awe inspiring stories of ordinary people being thrust into unimaginable conditions and risking everything to save others. It’s a story that touches all who hear it and our hope is to share this incredible story all over the world in what is without doubt one of our most ambitious live broadcasts yet attempted.” 

To book for the live streamed production, visit: https://originaltheatreonline.com/productions/32/into-the-night-live-streaming-saturday-18-december-530pm-gmt.

Live stream tickets: Super early bird until 14 November – £12; Early bird until 28 November – £14; Standard – £18; Supporter (includes a credit on the final film and programme) – £40 (available until 5 December); Premium (includes a script signed by the cast, a credit on the final film and programme) – £100 (available until 5 December).  

“If ever there was an example of the sea at its worst and humanity at its best, then it is the story of the loss of the Penlee Lifeboat”Peter Goss MBE, Sailor and Adventurer 

“The greatest act of courage that I have ever seen, and am ever likely to see, was the penultimate courage and dedication shown by the Penlee crew. They were truly the bravest eight men I’ve ever seen” Lt Cdr Russell Smith, US Navy 

LISTINGS 

Title: INTO THE NIGHT 

Dates: 18 December 2021 at 5.30pm GMT 

Running time: 80 mins plus post show Q&A 

Age guidance: 12+ 

Tickets:  https://originaltheatreonline.com/productions/32/into-the-night-live-streaming-saturday-18-december-530pm-gmt.  Super early bird until 14 November – £12; Early bird until 28 November – £14; Standard – £18; Supporter (includes a credit on the final film and programme) – £40 (available until 5 December); Premium (includes a script signed by the cast, a credit on the final film and programme) – £100 (available until 5 December).

Access: Subtitles are available 

Trigger warnings: See the booking page for trigger warnings (this does contain spoilers). 

HIPPODROME, BIRMINGHAM – UNTIL SATURDAY 30 OCTOBER.

REVIEWED BY NADIA DODD

5*****

The play, now on it’s 4th UK tour, performed by Mischief had the audience in stitches before the 7.30pm start – try not to be late as you will miss at least 10 minutes of the ‘stage crew’ setting up the stage scenery that quite isn’t going to plan…….looking around our seats and in our bags for the missing dog, Winston, goodness knows where he got to…..

The name of the play says it all really, nothing in the play goes correctly, it’s so much fun, British slapstick humor really at it’s best.

The timing and acrobatics especially from Tom Babbage who plays Cecil Haversham was just perfect, you can really see the amount of rehearsing that has gone into this performance.

The show is a play within a play and has recently celebrated its 7th birthday. Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society are putting on their 1920’s murder mystery show called ‘Murder at Haversham Manor’. The scenes that start to unfold are a mixture of missed, dropped lines, extremely well timed collapsing sets and stage hands that end up becoming part of the show.

Many scenes I likened to watching episodes of the TV comedy series Fawlty Towers, the timing for all the stunts were just so impeccably carried out, without as far as we know, actually injuring anyone!

The other highlight for myself was the 2 females of the show attempting to play the same part (Florence Colleymoore) both Sandra, played by April Hughes and Annie, played by Laura Kirman were just hilariously literally bouncing off each other, amazing personalities.

There’s nothing much like being within an audience where the whole room is belly laughing at what is happening on stage.

Expect some audience participation and heckling too, be careful if you get up to visit the toilet as they will notice and it makes it all the funnier for the rest of the audience.

As it’s half term too currently for some lucky youngsters it’s the ideal opportunity to book and bring them along to enjoy the theatre experience, the show is on in Birmingham until Saturday

Soho Theatre – until 20 November 2021

4****

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s emotional and unsettling new play will leave you shaken with its portrayal of early motherhood.

Nina (Sophie Melville) loves her 3 month old son Ben, but after a traumatic birth soon after the death of her mother she is not coping and can’t bring herself to ask for help. Her husband and brother-in-law give her something that she’s been dreaming of – a night to herself – as they take Ben to Pearl’s house for the night. Nina’s friend Jackie (Cat Simmons) comes over for pizza, wine and a catch up. Wine, guilt and exhaustion combine to produce a tsunami of confessions and truths from Nina, as she finally finds an outlet to voice the turmoil of conflicting emotions that come with motherhood. A phone call from Pearl soon turns their world upside down as Ben is rushed to hospital and an investigation begins. The structure of the play fractures along with Nina’s life, and scenes that could be flashbacks, misremembered events twisted by emotions and time or hallucinations intercut with the present.

Director Abigail Graham sensitive direction showcases the astonishing actors and writing. The simple set – a giant cloud mobile hanging above the stage – is lit brilliantly, working with excellent sound design to enhance the tension and confusion.

Morgan Lloyd’s writing is at it’s best during Nina’s descriptions of childbirth and her loss of her sense of self. Melville is devastating as Nina – full of frenetic energy and utterly convincing in her ambivalence, letting slip the things she would like to do to her baby in her darkest moments and the next second overflowing with adoration for him. The early scenes with Simmons are laugh out loud funny as Nina opens up about the reality of motherhood. Simmons is full of warmth as friend Jackie, a health professional, laughing reassuring Nina that all of the dark thoughts she is having are normal, but gently reminding Nina that she can get help. When Jackie has to choose between friendship and what is best for Nina and Ben, Simmons portrays the misery, frustration and professionalism of the character quietly and naturally. Denise Black plays mother-in-law Pearl and Nina’s mother brilliantly. The two are at opposite ends of the maternal spectrum with Nina’s mother honest never missing an opportunity to tell her that motherhood ruined her life, while Pearl is in the smotherhood camp, resulting in David being a man child whose absence from the play indicates his impact as a parent and partner. Pearl’s unconditional love for her son soon turns to suspicion of Nina, and the pair face off in a memorable encounter.

The final scene may be decisive, but it was thrilling to hear so many audience members chatting about their different interpretations of the play’s ending. An emotional rollercoaster of a play, Mum is a funny, devastatingly honest exploration of mental health and motherhood.

If you or anyone you know has been affected by the themes and issues explored in MUM, we have provided a number of helplines and charities below which you may find helpful for further information and support.

Perinatal Mental Health

Pandas Foundation – provides emotional and practical support for families and their networks who may be suffering with or affected by perinatal mental illness, including prenatal (antenatal) and postnatal depression. pandasfoundation.org.uk

Maternal Mental Health Alliance – provides extensive resources and links to national and local charities which can provide support on the link below maternalmentalhealthalliance.org/resources/mums-and-families

Mental Health

Samaritans – provides emotional support to anyone in emotional distress, struggling to cope, or at risk of suicide. samaritans.org 08457 90 90 90

Mind – provides information and advice to people with mental health problems and lobbies government and local authorities on their behalf. mind.org.uk

Bereavement and Grief At A Loss – the UK’s signposting website for bereaved people, ensuring they and those supporting them find information and services appropriate to their loss ataloss.org

Marie Curie – provides a free support line and a wealth of information and support on all aspects of dying, death and bereavement. They also provide frontline nursing and hospice care throughout the UK. mariecurie.org.uk

LONDON’S ‘SHOW OF THE YEAR’

THE MULTI-TONY AWARD WINNING

ANYTHING GOES

COMING TO UK CINEMAS – FOR TWO NIGHTS ONLY

28 NOVEMBER & 1 DECEMBER 2021

TICKETS ON SALE FROM FRIDAY 15 OCTOBER AT ANYTHINGGOESMUSICALCINEMA.COM

The smash hit musical ANYTHING GOES, ‘the show of the year’ (★★★★★ Daily Telegraph) and a ‘fizzing tonic for our times’ (★★★★★ The Guardian) will sail into over 450 cinema screens nationwide for two nights only on Sunday 28 November and Wednesday 1 December in a live recording filmed at London’s renowned Barbican Theatre.

Tickets will go on-sale from Friday 15 October at anythinggoesmusicalcinema.com

Presented by the Barbican and filmed live in London – during the show’s 15 week residency at the theatre, which continues until 6 November – his major new five star production of the classic musical comedy features an all-star cast led by renowned Broadway royalty Sutton Foster reprising her Tony Award-winning performance as Reno Sweeney, alongside three-time Olivier Award and Tony Award winner Robert Lindsay (My Family) as Moonface Martin, Evening Standard Theatre Award winner Felicity Kendal (The Good Life) as Evangeline Harcourt and beloved West End Legend Gary Wilmot (Chicago) as Elisha Whitney. A heart-warming romance with spectacular dance routines and some of theatre’s most memorable songs, ANYTHING GOES is ‘a joyously shipshape revival’ (★★★★★ The Observer).

Since ANYTHING GOES opened this summer at the Barbican, audiences have been on their feet night after night giving this multi-Tony Award winning show multiple standing ovations at every performance. Featuring a 50 strong cast and ensemble of the finest there is to offer on the London stage, including tap dancing sailors and a full-sized live orchestra, this critically acclaimed production ‘immediately joins the pantheon of great classic musical revivals’ (Daily Telegraph). ANYTHING GOES continues to play to sell out houses, as audiences flood through the Barbican Theatre doors to witness this truly spectacular musical comedy. Plans for an international cinema release will be announced soon.

When the S.S. American heads out to sea, etiquette and convention head out the portholes as two unlikely pairs set off on the course to true love… proving that sometimes destiny needs a little help from a crew of singing sailors, a comical disguise and some good old-fashioned blackmail. This hilarious musical romp across the Atlantic, directed by the multi-award-winning Broadway director and choreographer Kathleen Marshall, features Cole Porter’s joyful score, including I Get A Kick Out of You, You’re the Top and the show stopping Anything Goes. The ‘musical equivalent of sipping one glass of champagne after another’ (★★★★★ The Times), ANYTHING GOES will take you back to the Golden Age of high society on the seas from the comfort of your cinema seat.

ANYTHING GOES has music and lyrics by Cole Porter, an original book by P.G. Wodehouse & Guy Bolton with Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse and a new book by Timothy Crouse and John Weidman. The musical also stars Samuel Edwards (Les Misérables / Wicked) as Billy Crocker, Nicole-Lily Baisden (The Book of Mormon / Let’s Face The Music) as Hope Harcourt, Haydn Oakley (A Christmas Carol / An American in Paris) as Lord Evelyn Oakleigh and Carly Mercedes Dyer (West Side Story/Chicago) as Erma.

Producer Howard Panter says: “The multi-Tony Award winning glorious production of Anything Goes, directed by Kathleen Marshall, is not to be missed. London audiences already cannot get enough of this energetic and uplifting classic musical which has been sold out night after night. From four outstanding leading actors – Sutton, Robert, Felicity, Gary – to the spectacular supporting company, the glorious set design, the breathtaking choreography and of course the wonderful score. It really is ‘the show of the year’ that everyone should experience and I am delighted that via this two day cinema release the show will get an even wider audience across the UK.”

Trafalgar Releasing’s CEO Marc Allenby says: “We’re delighted to be working with our partners within the Trafalgar Entertainment Group to bring this entertaining and uplifting five star musical to cinemas across the UK. Musical theatre has a proven track record of box office success on the big screen, and with its all-star cast, spectacular dance routines and instantly recognizable songs, Anything Goes is the perfect production to bring laughter and joy to cinema audiences.”

★★★★★

‘Makes you gasp in wonder and laugh till it hurts. Pure class.’

Daily Telegraph

★★★★★

‘The show of the year. I would give it six stars if I could’

Daily Telegraph

★★★★★

’The musical equivalent of sipping one glass of champagne after another’

The Times

★★★★★

‘When a musical packs this much energy and spectacle, nothing else goes!’

Daily Mail

★★★★★

’Bubbly wit and stylish fun. It shimmers and sparkles.’

The Times

★★★★★

‘Anything Goes offers the delirious delight of a musical in full sail’

Financial Times

CREATIVE TEAM

Kathleen Marshall – Director & Choreographer

Stephen Ridley – Music Supervisor & Director

Derek McLane – Set Designer

Jon Morrell – Costume Designer

Hugh Vanstone – Lighting Designer

Jonathan Deans – Sound Designer

LISTINGS INFORMATION

Screening Dates: Sunday 28 November & Wednesday 1 December

Website: AnythingGoesMusicalCinema.com

Twitter: @AnythingGUK

Facebook: @AnythingGoesUK

Instagram: @AnythingGoesUK